A stand-up comedian will lug his musical instruments all the way from Chennai to offer you an hour of good vibes and lots of Tamil tunes
Alex Babu
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Can music make people laugh? Alexander Babu sure thinks so. The Chennai-based stand-up comedian will be in the city for two shows this weekend, bringing along an undying love for Tamil films and music.'
South India-focused comedy movement Evam Stand-Up Tamasha will present this hour-long show, titled Alex in Wonderland. After Mumbai, Babu will be taking the show to Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Bengaluru through September, before circling back to home turf.
Music mania
"There will be a lot of music involved. I will be playing the harmonium, bongos, and the cajon, and singing in Tamil. However, the show will be in English. So, even if you don't understand Tamil, you will still be able to follow everything. With the Tamil bits, it's all about feeling the vibe," says Babu over a phone call from Chennai, adding that he learned to play the tabla, which helps him master other percussion instruments. He is also a trained Carnatic vocalist.
Comedian Baggy in their show, The Yogi and The Bear
In addition to this, he will also give the audience a glimpse into his childhood — singing in the church choir, and watching his father play the harmonium. "Initially, for this show, I had packed in a lot more instruments, which brought their weight to 80kg. I had to get rid of a few until I could bring the weight down to 40kg," he laughs.
He shares that although he has been doing comedy for nearly three years, this is his first solo stand-up special. While a lot of youngsters are trying to make it big on the stand-up stage now, Babu only made his entry into the scene at the age of 39. "I was always passionate about Tamil films and music. In fact, at one point, I thought I would be an actor. However, life had other plans for me, and I ended up becoming a software engineer," he says.
Software to stand-up
Years went by — with marriage and kids coming along — before Babu decided he wanted to make a career out of making people laugh. "The stand-up scene had started picking up in Chennai. I realised that stand-up comedy is like acting, and I love to act. I quit my job and took the plunge," he shares.
His choices have not come without challenges. "Even now, I have people asking me how I, a Christian, can teach yoga and be a Carnatic singer. Recently, I shot a video around Ganesh Chaturthi, and immediately I had people commenting, 'Who are you to talk about Ganpati?' There is no malice behind what I do. It's sad that a simple video can disturb people so much."
The upcoming show will feature Babu's trademark positive humour. "The show is called Alex in Wonderland because it's a feel-good show. Using humour, I wish to say that the world is actually quite a wonderful place."
On September 2 (7 pm) and September 3 (8 pm)
At The Cuckoo Club, Bandra West (September 2); Brewbot, Andheri West (September 3).
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